


Misfortunes

by randomcactaceae



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Post-Canon, angry dani, angry jamie as well, post canon but with no ghosts, they fight over something stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomcactaceae/pseuds/randomcactaceae
Summary: Dani finally meets up with an old friend from school and decides not to tell her about her relationship with Jamie, leading to their first big argument. Set post-canon, in Vermont.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Kudos: 27





	Misfortunes

Dani woke up to what pointed to be a good day. After several years, today she was going to meet up with Katie, one of her high school friends. She was living in Canada, so they were somehow near. They were close friends since they were young, but when they graduated from college, each one of them took a separate path. And then Dani lost all contact with her when she moved to England for her job as an au pair. 

When she and Jamie moved to Vermont, though, Dani wanted to reach out to her old friends. After all, they were good friends, even though they weren’t that close anymore.

On a Wednesday, she called Katie’s parents-she somehow still had the number written on her address book- and her father told her she moved to Canada and then proceeded to give Dani the number. 

Dani dialled the number and Katie answered. 

“Katie! It’s Dani. How you’ve been?”

“Dani? Dani Clayton? Wow, hello there! It’s been a while! I’m all good here, how about you?” she asked with a high-pitched tone. Dani smiled. It clearly had been a while since she spoke to her friends. 

“I’m good too, thanks! What have you been up to?”

“I’m living in Canada, happily married, and we have little Evan who’s turning three in June.”

“That’s good to hear, Katie!”

“So, what’s this call for? I mean, I love to hear from you, but is there anything special you would like to tell me about?” Katie asked, a bit concerned. Dani forgot she was a little bossy sometimes.

“Well, I came back from England and I’m living in Vermont, so I was just wondering if we can meet up someday, you know? Like in the old days” she said with a chuckle, remembering all the good memories she had with her school friends. It has been a while since that.

“Wait, are you living in Vermont? In which part?”

“Uh, I’m in Bakersfield” 

“ That’s near where I am! So I’m thinking, maybe I can drive over there on the weekend and we can go for a coffee or something, to catch up?” Katie asked back, clearly excited about it.

“That sounds like a great idea! So, are you free this Saturday?” Dani asked, excited about the plan.

“Sure! I’ll tell Mark to take care of Evan and I’ll drive over there! Five o’clock would be fine?”

“ Sure! Would it be okay if we meet up at the Evening Cafe? It's a nice coffee shop here in Bakersfield; it’s downtown so it’s easy to locate”

“Okay, it’s fine by me. So see you on Saturday, then?” 

“Yeah. Can’t wait!”

“Same! See you then, Dani!”

“Bye Katie!”

Dani hung up with a wide smile. After years of leaving all behind, she finally got the opportunity to meet with someone from her past again. 

The week went on until Saturday finally came. The morning went on by as usual. Dani woke up, prepared breakfast for her and Jamie, and read the newspaper. Then they ate breakfast together, did some deliveries from the shop, and returned to their flat. They usually went to the park to take a walk, but this time Dani was in a hurry to get to the coffee shop to meet Katie. 

“How do I look?” she asked Jamie as she showed her her outfit for the evening.

“You know the answer. Stunning” Jamie answered as she stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I’m gonna miss you” Dani said as she held Jamie’s hand in hers.

“Me too. Hopefully, you’ll come back soon, innit?” Jamie asked back teasingly as she pressed her lips into Dani’s neck.

“I will baby, I promise” Dani replied as she slowly let go of her embrace because she knew if she continued things would lead to something else-as usual.

She then walked to the door and grabbed her coat, and then headed out. Jamie watched her leave and then proceeded to continue reading on the couch. 

Dani drove to the coffee shop downtown. It was not very crowded, so it was easy to find Katie, who was sitting at a table on the corner. Dani happily waved at her and sat at the table. Their conversation went on as if they never lost contact. They told each other about everything; about their current lives, what they did after graduating, and even talked about some gossip from their colleagues from high school. But there was something Dani didn’t tell Katie. Something she was still afraid to admit to her relatives and friends. And that something was her long-term relationship with Jamie. She sure wanted to tell her, but something inside her, mainly fear, held her back from telling her friend. Maybe she wasn’t ready yet. Maybe she wasn’t ready to be asked about it and get into discussions about it. And she feared losing her friend because of it. What if she thought Dani was her friend because she  _ liked  _ her at some point? What if she perceived differently now that she  _ knew _ ? 

Fear consumed her mind at the thought of getting into discussions about it, so she better omitted the topic. Katie eventually asked if she was seeing someone, but Dani quickly changed the subject. Katie somehow got the idea that she didn’t want to speak about it, and she switched the topic as well. 

Their talk continued smoothly, and they even started talking about old high school memories. Dani felt happy to remember. It was a happy time, she recalled. Everything was simpler when they were young, but they didn’t realize it until later on. Her life was completely different back then; she had Eddie, she was a little closer to her mom, and she was trying to be the perfect girl their family wanted her to become. She was happier now, though. She lost some things but gained so many more in return.

After almost three hours of chatting, both women decided it was time to go.

“I hope we can meet up soon again, Katie. It was a pleasure to have seen you again” Dani said as she grabbed her purse and stood up from the table and they both started heading out of the coffee shop.

“Aw, Dani, I had a blast, too. Please call me so you can come to Canada someday. Mark and Evan will be glad to meet you” Katie answered with a warm smile.

“I will, for sure! Thank you so much, Katie”

“Take care, Dani!” she said and proceeded to give Dani a hug. She hugged her back, happy about their encounter after so many years.

“You too. Drive home safe, please” Dani said with a smile, as she saw Katie heading to her van.

“Sure, you too. See you soon!”

Katie closed the door and turned on the engine. Dani waved goodbye and headed to her car. She got inside, turned it on, and drove home. She was relieved to have seen her friend, but she was also disappointed with herself. If only she had the courage to answer that “are you seeing someone?” question and tell Katie she was happily living with the love of her life. But she somehow was still scared. Scared of what they’ll say; scared of feeling unwanted. 

She drove home, trying better to think about the happy memories she recalled in her talk with her friend. And thinking of how different her life has become, compared to her friend’s life, and to her own past life. She somehow felt relieved to have changed so much.

She finally reached the street where she and Jamie lived and parked the car. She got out and walked to the main entrance, and then reached their door. She quickly took out the keys from her purse and opened the door. She found the lights turned off, except for the one in the hall and the one from their bedroom.

“Jay, I’m home!” She said as she hung her coat on the rack beside the door. She walked to their room to find Jamie laying on the bed, watching tv. She smiled the second Dani entered the room.

“Hey baby, how did it go?” Jamie asked as she stood up to give Dani a hug.

“It was great! Katie’s a nice friend” she answered as she stared into Jamie’s eyes and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“I missed you”

“I did, too. A lot, actually” Jamie said as she smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

After they broke apart, Dani proceeded to change into her pyjamas, since it was a bit late already. Plus, Jamie was already changed, and even though she had fun, her evening with Katie drained her energy a bit. She just wanted to lay down and rest for a while.

She climbed to the bed beside Jamie, which was actually very interested in how things went with Dani and her friend. Not because she was possessive, but because she was interested to know about Dani’s relationship with her old friend. She never saw her old friends ever again since she went to foster care, so she just wanted to know how everything went with the whole situation.

“So, tell me, did you have a fun time?” she asked, holding Dani’s hand in hers.

“I did, actually. It’s been a while since Katie and I talked”

“And how’s her life going? I mean, I don’t know her, but what about her? You told me she lives in Canada, right?”

“Yes! She’s living in Canada, she’s married and has a kid. He’s turning three, she told me.”

“Wow. Living the dream life seems to me” Jamie answered sarcastically.

“Basically. She had everything planned since we were little, I remember. She used to tell me she wanted to live in Canada and have her kids grow up in there as well”

“That’s nice” she said with a chuckle. “And did she ask about you?” she asked, intrigued.

Dani’s expression changed a bit as if she was concerned about what to answer.

“Yeah, well she asked, but I didn’t tell her much about my life. It’s been a while you know?”

Jamie let go of her hand, a little confused.

“Wait, so you didn’t tell her about you? About anything that went on before you two parted ways after college?”

Dani looked down, nervous. Obviously, Jamie knew she was hiding something.

“Well, yeah, I did, but I just didn’t overshare” Dani answered, with a bit of shyness in her voice.

“What do you mean, Dani? So you didn’t tell her anything?”

“I told her some things, like the fact Eddie and I broke up because he, you know”

Jamie was concerned. Something didn’t add up.

“So, I guess she asked you about your relationship status, right?” Jamie said, starting to sound a bit puzzled. She wanted to hear Dani telling her that she told her friend about them, but she knew something was pointing to the fact maybe she didn´t tell her anything at all. Dani soon acknowledged Jamie started to realise she didn't tell Katie about their relationship.

“Yeah, she did”

“And? Did you tell her about us?” Jamie asked again, with a hint of hope in her voice. Dani shyly looked down as she started fidgeting with her hands. 

“Dani, you didn’t, right?” 

“I- I couldn’t, Jamie. I had this fear of feeling unwanted”

Jamie stood up from the bed and ran her hands through her hair, trying to process what was happening. She was starting to get angry because of something that maybe wasn’t that important, but it meant a lot to her. Dani denying she was in a relationship with her made her feel as if she was invisible. As if Dani didn’t want anyone to know about them.

“So you told her you were single?” Jamie said, not raising her voice but with a tone that was showing she was clearly not okay with the situation.

“No. I just changed the topic” Dani said, starting to get mad as well.

Jamie stayed silent as she stared at the window, her fists clenched. Dani knew it was bad not to tell Katie that she was in a relationship. Neglecting her love for Jamie was bad, not because of her, but because of Jamie. She didn’t deserve to be denied. But she was too scared at the moment. And she was scared now as well, as she hadn't had a big fight with Jamie before. Their discussions were small and often ended with any of them giving in.

After an uncomfortable brief silence, Jamie turned around and faced Dani, who was standing beside their bed now.

“Dani, answer me this, are you ashamed of this? Are you ashamed of us?” Jamie said as her jaw stiffened.

Dani tried to maintain calm even though she felt her blood boiling through her veins. She didn’t want to make things worse. But there was something in Jamie’s body language that just made her angry.

“I told you I was scared, Jamie! I’m not ashamed of anything, you’re putting words in my mouth that weren’t even there in the first place” she said, crossing her arms. Jamie stared at her.

“Okay fine, you didn’t say it, but you thought about it, right? You were afraid of telling your friend about us because you felt shame”

Dani knew she was somehow right, but she won’t give in. She also had a point in being afraid.

“I never said that, Jamie. You just don’t understand”

“Understand what? That you made me invisible to who you call a “close friend”? That doesn’t sit right with me, Dani” Jamie said as her eyes started watering, her fists still clenched tightly.

“I didn’t, Jamie, I never denied anything. I just didn’t speak about it” Dani said in a now aggressive tone. Jamie just listened, trying not to make apparent her watery eyes.

“That makes no fucking sense” Jamie said in a lower tone.

“And what would you want me to do, then?! Tell her I’m living with someone with the fear of being attacked? With the fear of being criticized? You just don’t understand, Jamie. I’ve been constantly fighting myself for so long and you just tell me I’m a coward now? You’re telling me I’m the bad one in this story?”

Jamie started to feel bad about what she’d just said. Maybe she was  making something big out of a small problem . Maybe her words hurt Dani more than she thought. 

“Dani, I didn’t mean to-”

“No, Jamie, don’t try to make things up. What’s been said been said”

Jamie didn’t answer back, even though she knew her silence would just make Dani feel proud and maybe get angrier.

“You’re not going to say anything? Fine. I’m out of here” Dani said as she grabbed her pillow and started leaving the room. Jamie stood still, watching her go. She didn’t even know what to do.

“But Dani-”

“I’m not sleeping here. Good night” she said before she stormed out to the couch. Jamie sighed as she sat on the bed and put her head in her hands.  _ I’m a fucking idiot _ , she thought. She knew Dani was somehow right. It was okay to feel scared. But she felt as if Dani was ashamed of her. Maybe because she couldn’t give her the life she always dreamt of.

Dani angrily laid her head on her pillow on the couch, as tears fell from her eyes. She was mad at Jamie, but she was mad at herself as well. And she just thought the best solution was to storm out and make a big deal out of it.

Jamie sat up on the bed, looking at the now empty space beside her. She clenched her fists and stared through the window, thinking of a way to make things up. Several hours passed, and she couldn’t sleep. She finally decided to get out of the room and try to talk to Dani. Maybe she was calmer now.

She slowly walked to the living room but found Dani asleep on the couch. She wanted to wake her up and make things up, but maybe it wasn’t the right time. She walked back to their room, her fists clenched again, as she resisted the urge to punch something. She felt so mad at herself for making Dani feel the way she did, but she couldn’t fix things until the next day. She went inside the covers, feeling the emptiness of the bed, curled up in a ball and forced herself to sleep, within all the rage she had inside.

* * *

The next morning, Dani woke up on the couch, still concerned about last day’s events. She wondered if Jamie was still asleep. She wondered if she ever went and checked if she was still there or not.

She quickly got up and headed to the kitchen to prepare her coffee. She didn’t bother about checking up on Jamie. She’ll wake up eventually, and she wanted to show her she was still mad. When the coffee was done, she poured some on her mug and sat at the table to read the newspaper. 

About thirty minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching. It was Jamie. She decided not to look at her and continued focusing on the newspaper.

“Hi Dani” she said in a shy voice tone-one very rare from her.

Dani looked up a moment later, trying to avoid much eye contact, but something about Jamie’s gaze made her realise she was maybe trying to apologise.

“Hi” she answered briefly. She wanted to fix things, but she didn’t want to be the one giving in.

Jamie stood right in front of her, forcing her to look up at her.

“Uh, I just wanna say I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. Truly sorry.” she said as she looked down and nervously fidgeted with her hands.

Dani didn’t know what to answer. She didn’t know how to actually repair the mess between the two. She stayed silent until Jamie spoke again.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about not wanting to tell Katie about your personal relationships. It was something insignificant and I, uh, I acted very stupidly about it. I’m sorry, Dani”

Dani stood up and took a deep breath before answering.

“I know it was stupid to fight over this. And I know I acted badly about it as well. But I just felt misunderstood, Jamie. I felt like you weren’t being supportive about my decisions”

Jamie clumsily placed a hand over Dani’s arm, trying to reassure her. 

“No, Dani. I overreacted as well. I misunderstood everything and felt as if you were trying to deny everything, you know?”

Dani’s eyes finally met Jamie’s. She knew she meant every single word she said. And maybe she made her feel bad about her and their whole relationship.

“I was just scared. Scared about how everything would turn out. I promise it won’t ever happen again.”

“No, Dani” Jamie said as she took both Dani’s hands in her own. “It’s completely normal to be scared. And you don’t need to give explanations about anything to anyone, including me. You don’t need to apologise for not wanting to talk about us. It’s your decision and if that decision makes you feel at peace, I’ll respect it”.

Dani felt a tear running down her cheek. She felt horrible about making a big deal about something so insignificant that ended up hurting Jamie as well.

Jamie noticed she was holding back tears and proceeded to cup her face with her hands, wiping the tears with her thumb.

“It’s alright, Dani. It’s alright”

“Sorry for making this a big fucking fight”

“Well, it had to happen sometime, y’know?” Jamie said, trying to change the mood a bit. Dani looked up at her shyly. 

“No, but, really, sorry Jamie, I know you felt bad as well”

“Nah, don’t worry about me. I’m okay” Jamie said, keeping to herself her feelings from last night. Dani slowly wrapped her arms around Jamie and pulled her close in a tight hug. Jamie hugged her back, resting her head against her shoulder.

“So, are we good now?” Dani asked after a while, hoping everything was slowly coming back to normal. Jamie lifted her head and stared into her eyes before leaning in for a deep, lingering kiss.

“Yeah” she answered, causing Dani to giggle a bit. “I guess so”.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Well, I don't know what you think about it. It was hard to write the first fight, but I tried my best. Please let me think what you know about it, and feel free to cancel me and yell at me if it's shite (applies to all my works as well). Special thanks to user @starcourtdingus on tumblr for proofreading!  
> Also, thanks to the many anons on tumblr who suggested this fic, I hope you all liked it! Here are some of your prompts:  
> \- Damie prompt: their real first big argument/fight. It ends up with Dani taking her pillow so she can sleep on the couch. Jamie is in shock, standing next to the door of their room, watching Dani getting ready to sleep off of their bed for the first time ever.  
> -I think we have this image that Dani would be more resentful because of that bed scene with Dani complaining and Jamie kissing her lol still think Dani would be the one who would talk and talk, then stays silent and goes to the couch. Jamie would be the silent one and then talk only what's necessary u know.
> 
> Thank you and have a good night/day! Remember prompts/feedback/asks are always open!


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